Carter Historic Farm
18331 Carter Road, Bowling Green, OH 43402
Grounds are free and open daily to all from 8:00 am until 30 minutes past sunset.
*Farm Buildings are open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Please call ahead to schedule a tour.
The Carter Historic Farm is a working farm and living-history cultural heritage center interpreted to the Depression-era.
*Please note: this is a working farm, so be careful of, and watch out for farm machinery and animals.
School Field Trip
Find handbooks & resources by clicking on “School Field Trip” above.
Heritage Farm Fest
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Heritage Farm Fest is held annually on the first Saturday in October.
The 2022 event featured: live music, blacksmith demonstrations, history talks, wagon rides, cider-pressing, farming demos, laundry station, games for kids, doughnut-eating contest, scarecrow contest, and food sustainably and holistically grown and raised at the Carter Historic Farm.
Step back in time to enjoy some down-home agricultural heritage.
Visit Depression-era working farm and living history center to experience rural agricultural life in the 1930s and 1940s. See farm animals, sustainable old-fashioned agricultural practices, and trails through the woodlot and wetland. Operated by the Wood County Park District, entrance is free and the grounds are open daily from 8:00 am until 30 minutes past sunset. Contact the Park District to learn hours of the Carter Farmhouse Museum, Zimmerman one-room Schoolhouse, barns, and outbuildings.
The Carter Historic Farm in on a land conservation easement with the Black Swamp Conservancy. Protected forever.
If you are able to help out at the Carter Historic Farm, check out the on-site volunteer opportunities. Volunteer with us!
Life and farming in the Depression Era is re-created through interactive programming, displays and special events. Programs include food preservation and canning, farm play, campfires, farm chores, demonstrations, Preschoolers in the Parks (PiPs) programs, Farm Summer Camp and so much more.
This is an excellent and free elementary school field trip location.
The Zimmerman one-room schoolhouse, dated to the 1890s, is located on the Carter property.
Zimmerman One-Room Schoolhouse
In post-Civil War America one-room schoolhouses played an important role in educating the young. In these schools children were taught arithmetic, reading, spelling and writing. Situated in independent local school districts, they promoted a democratic ethic and strong American community life.
The Zimmerman School of today is representative of its life from 1892 through 1923. In 2015, the Schoolhouse was in need of a new foundation and to be accessible for school fieldtrips and tour groups, so the Park District moved it an eighth of a mile down Carter Road to the Carter Historic Farm property.
The Zimmerman school is open by appointment and for programming purposes.
To schedule a free tour of Carter Historic Farm and Zimmerman one-room schoolhouse (for groups of 8 or more), please contact Historic Farm Specialist Corinne Gordon (419) 601-3653.
Carter Historic Farm Wetland Project
Early in 2018, the Park District announced a partnership with the Black Swamp Conservancy to design a wetland restoration project on the westernmost 20-acres of the Carter Historic Farm Park. Sixteen acres will be restored into wetland and 4 acres will be restored to upland prairie. The intent of the project is to filter runoff from the farm fields to remove pollutants before they enter the Toussaint Creek and eventually entering Lake Erie. In addition, the restored wetlands will enhance the Park District’s ability to interpret the Great Black Swamp and illustrate the work necessary to convert the swamp into usable farmland. Finally, berms created through the construction of the wetlands will serve as trails for park visitors enabling them to view the restored wetlands and learn first-hand the importance of wetlands in our ecosystem. Design considerations for the trails include making them wide enough to allow for tractor access and enabling hay wagon rides through the area during programs and Park District events.
In June, 2018, the Black Swamp Conservancy received a grant to complete the construction of the wetlands. These grant funds came from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Construction included:
- Construction of berms and swales around the exterior of the wetland restoration area
- Location of existing drainage tile and breaking of the tiles to stop drainage
- Excavation of pools and micro-topography within the wetland area
- Construction of interior berms in the wetlands that will serve as trails
- Installation of stone spillways for water control
- Soil preparation and seeding of the wetland with a specially formulated native seed mix
- Planting of native grasses on the berms to prevent erosion and serve as a trail surface
- Planting native shrubs and trees
The wetland was officially opened in September, 2019 with a ribbon-cutting during the Fall Harvest Festival at the Carter Historic Farm.
About Donating to the Carter Historic Farm
Thank you for considering a donation to Carter Historic Farm. The Farm’s collection is made up largely of artifacts donated by people like you, and we appreciate your desire to become involved in preserving Wood County history. The staff of Carter Historic Farm are obliged to make sure that every acquisition meets the needs of the Farm, and that we have the resources to conserve and store donated objects appropriately. For this reason, we cannot accept donations without prior communication and approval. Please contact Historic Farm Specialist Corinne Gordon at (419) 601-3653 or cgordon@ wcparks.org with information about the items you wish to donate.